Here's a little sneak peak of the latest flash sheet I've been painting. I should be able to finish it tonight and get full pics up tomorrow...

I'm pretty proud of it, so far, and proof of one of my strong beliefs of a couple keys to success... ability and drive. I believe there's such a thing as natural talent, but the most successful are those who possess this talent and have the drive to harness it and put to use. An easy example of this is well known athletes... my sport is basketball. Players who come to mind are Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. These two dudes had a great gift already, but they also put in the work to make themselves the best they can be. An example of ability with low drive is a person like Allen Iverson. Dude had all kinds of ability but, "Practice? We talkin' 'bout practice? Maaaan... this is just practice! Practice?!" Then there's a ton of players who don't have that superstar ability, but they work hard to reach their potential... maybe like a Tim Duncan. He's got size, sure, but not the most athletic dude on the court. You can tell he puts in the work to master his moves and bank shot.It doesn't always come easy, but the work you put in leads to growth, learning, and strides toward reaching your potential. If you think I'm just talking some bullshit, here's a horse from my first ever flash sheet, painted about three years ago...

There's obviously a stark difference and it didn't come overnight. Three years ago, I was nowhere near my full potential and I knew it. I still don't know how far my potential will reach, but I know I'm going to continue to push it and test it. It's actually pretty funny, but at the same time rewarding, to look back on this first sheet and see how horrible it was and how far I've come. Just gotta keep driving forward!Anyways... enough rambling. Thanks for reading.PEACE!

I've had the urge to tattoo something on myself again lately, but I've been flipping thru my books and haven't been able to find something to get. Since I was going to be at the shop today, I decided that I'd just pick something off a flash sheet. I came across this moth on a flash sheet from Spider Murphy's, by Paul Anthony Dobleman. I traced it out and it didn't fit the space I wanted to fill, but I was already stuck on the image. In my search for where to put it, I pulled up my pant leg and saw the first tattoo I ever did... a Daruma head. Perfect!

Daruma doll heads have blank eyes. When you receive one, you fill in one eye and make a wish or set a goal. When you get your wish or achieve your goal, you fill in the other eye. It's a little reminder to keep your eyes on the prize. I happened to put it on the top of my thigh because it's one of the easiest places to tattoo yourself. It also happens to be a great spot for a reminder tattoo because I see it every day when I have alone time to do some thinking... on the $#!++er.

A moth flying towards the Daruma is perfect, as the moth is seeker of light. I've also been thinking of what I could put around the Daruma for a while, so it worked out sweet. I decided to freehand a little candle on the Daruma head also, as a further representation of the light. It's cool to see my progression over the last three years on my journey to filling in that other eye. Anyways... enough jaw flappin' (or finger typin')... here's the pics:

Here's a shot of the Daruma head right after I finished it, almost three years ago. There's a drastic difference in the linework and shading between him and the moth and candle. Thankfully, the ink ages with the body and it's healed up to a point where I can actually share this and not be completed ashamed. I've definitely come a long way since then, but I also know there's a long way to go. The best part is, I know I can only get better with each and every drawing and tattoo. Thanks for reading!.. now come get tattooed!!

I started a flash sheet of original designs a long while back and got stuck with two empty spaces. I finally got around to filling 'em by tracing the spaces and seeing what would fit the shape, away from the rest of the sheet. Check out what I came up with! Read the captions for details.

I'm pretty excited to get back onto watercolor paper and I'm pleased with how it's turning out so far. It's a good reminder.